Dell earnings improve, but subject to change

Dell's delayed financial results came in ahead of estimates, but it characterized the results as "preliminary" due to ongoing investigations by the SEC and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

For the period ended November 3, Dell reported $14.4 billion in revenue and net income of $677 million, or 30 cents per share. The company did not compare those results to last year's third-quarter, but a year ago Dell reported then-disappointing revenue of $13.9 billion and net income of $606 million.

Dell had been scheduled to report earnings last week, but delayed the announcement because of the complexity of reporting results while under investigation, it said. At that point, analysts had been expecting revenue of $14.4 billion and earnings per share of 24 cents. The company still hasn't filed a quarterly report with the SEC for its second quarter, and offered no update Tuesday on when that report would be completed.

Depending on the outcome of the investigation, these numbers might not hold. "The preliminary results for the second and third quarters could be affected by any restatements of prior period financial statements that are required as a result of any conclusions reached by the investigations. No determination has been made as to whether restatements of prior period financial statements will be required," Dell said in its earnings release.